STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1073

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 213

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 213, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Allow an employee to use family leave to care for the employee's sibling with a serious health condition or upon the death of the employee's child, spouse, reciprocal beneficiary, sibling, or parent; and

     (2)  Specify certification requirements for when family leave is taken for the death of the employee's child, spouse, reciprocal beneficiary, sibling, or parent.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; ILWU Local 142; LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 646, AFL CIO; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and four individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Food Industry Association, Hawaii Restaurant Association, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Maui Chamber of Commerce, Society for Human Resource Management–Hawaii Chapter, Il Gelato Hawaii, and one individual.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, and Hawaii Children's Action Network.

     Your Committee finds that employees are currently entitled to four weeks of family leave during the calendar year upon the birth or adoption of an employee's child or to care for the employee's child, spouse, reciprocal beneficiary, or parent with a serious health condition.  Your Committee also finds that employees may need to be absent from work in order to care for a sibling with a serious health condition or upon the death of an employee's child, spouse, reciprocal beneficiary, sibling, or parent.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of January 7, 2059, to encourage further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 213, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 213, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair